Thank you so much, Flour Girl, bean2002, and hieperdepiep. I appreciate your comments. My friend loved her cake. The only issue was that it was so much cake. I didn’t realize how much cake I had made until I had assembled it, but since that was the only real issue with the cake I think it turned out pretty good overall.

I hope your friend knows she can put piece of waxed paper on a cookie sheet, slice the cake, put the slices on the cookie sheet, freeze them, then peel them off the cookie sheet, wrap them in plastic wrap and foil, and store them in the freezer in a ziplock bag or plastic container. They will keep, oh, probaby forever, and make a delicious snack in a moment of need!!!! Thaw on the counter or the fridge!

I hope your friend knows she can put piece of waxed paper on a cookie sheet, slice the cake, put the slices on the cookie sheet, freeze them, then peel them off the cookie sheet, wrap them in plastic wrap and foil, and store them in the freezer in a ziplock bag or plastic container. They will keep, oh, probaby forever, and make a delicious snack in a moment of need!!!! Thaw on the counter or the fridge!

Yeah, this was a lot of cake. Just like your recent cake, I made three layers, but then I torted each layer (I love torting layers for some reason). With the torting and additional filling between the layers this grew to monstrosity proportions in no time at all. As I mentioned before, it wasn’t until I had it assembled that I realized how much cake I made. This was definitely a case of cake overload lol.

That’s good advice for the future and I’ll let others know that when I give them a cake. In this case, though, my friend and her friends have already plowed through this one. She has three roommates and many neighbors in her complex, so it’s all gone by now.

Julie, making the cake layers the same thickness is made a lot easier when each layer bakes to the same thickness. I’ve had cakes in the past where one layer didn’t rise as much as another during the baking process, so when the cake was sliced into the layers were clearly not the same thickness. For the filling layers I pipe an “icing dam” around the border after I have applied the crumb coat and allowed it to set. I do this for two reasons: 1) it keeps the filling from being squeezed out when stacking the next layer on top (this is especially useful if your filling is colored and you’re going to frost with a lighter color on the outside) and 2) the filling amount is fairly consistent between each layer.

So I pipe an “icing dam” like this:

Then I apply the filling no higher, or lower, than the “icing dam”:

If I’m filling the layers with the same frosting I’ll be using on the outside, then I don’t pipe the dam.

Then I stack each layer until it’s finished and then apply another crumb coat to the outside of the cake before applying the final coat and any decorations I’ll be adding.

I forgot to take a pic after the final crumb coat was applied, but I think you get the idea here.

For the filling layers I pipe an “icing dam” around the border after I have applied the crumb coat and allowed it to set.

Thank you MP…now I really want to want to bake another cake. Are you saying you crumb coat and set each layer separately before filling?

CRenee, you are correct. I do a crumb coat and then put the cake layer in the freezer for about 10 minutes or so, just long enough for the frosting to set. Then, using a #12 round piping tip, I pipe the icing dam if I am using a filling different from what I will frost the outside with. I do not freeze the cake layer after the icing dam has been piped. Once the dam has been piped I apply the filling and repeat the process until I reach the top layer. No filling for the top layer, of course. After all the layers have been assembled I apply a crumb coat to the outside of the cake. Then it goes back into the freezer for another 10 minutes. After that, then I apply the final frosting coat and whatever decorations I’m going to add to the cake.

Would it hurt to put in fridge for just 10 minutes or long enough to set? So far, I have only a bottom freezer that cannot accommodate a layer easily.

I don’t see why it would hurt to put it in the fridge rather than the freezer. I put mine in the freezer because I have more room in there than I do in the fridge. Plus, putting it in the freezer just means that the frosting will set quicker. I don’t freeze my layers long enough for the cake underneath to freeze, just long enough for the frosting to set. The only thing I can see being different using the fridge instead of the freezer is the amount of time needed to the frosting to set and the cake not being completely frozen. If you’re not rushed trying to get through the process and have no need for the cake itself to be frozen, then I see no reason why using the fridge instead of the freezer would cause any problems.